Drag Cars

Jared Mayle, Young Writers Essay, Mrs.Kirkpatrick - 2A

     Since 1885, when the first car came out, people around the world have been modifying them to be whatever they want. Some people, like “gangsters”, are into older cars that are slammed to the ground, with hydraulics for them to shoot themselves a couple feet into the air. Then of course you have your classic tuner, which is when the owners to up and personal with the engine and modify it to their liking. Another kind of car customizer are referred to as “Street Outlaws.” These kind of tuners tune their car to go 1/8th of a mile as fast as they possibly can go.

     There are two different kind of drag cars, steel body (which is an average car), then there are ProMods, which are light car frames with plastic shells that make them super light. Each person in the street racing business has their own person choice of which is better, and each of them have valid points. On one side of the brawl you have the ProMod side, their argument it that with all of the weight taken off by the light shell and frame, makes them go 2-3x faster on the street or track, but then you have the other side of the brawl. The steel body racers believe in their steel bodies for weight. When you launch for the race, steel bodies tend to have a lot more traction than a ProMod, because of the weight-power ratio. On paper the ProMod should easily outrun a steel body car, but half the time that’s not true. The reason behind it is that the ProMod drivers let the weight get to their head, so they put a huge engine that producing 3000hp in a light weight car and expect it to stick to the road, no.

     Some people get really famous from Street/Track racing, but one of the most recognizable teams in the U.S is the 405, from Oklahoma City. They claim to have the fastest cars in the nation. There were 2 ProMods on that list, and they were Big Chief and Jeff Lutz. They both were extremely fast on the street and are know all across the world for being so fast. The reason they were taken off was a huge safety concern. When a drag car is doing its best, it usually is going about 150 or so by the end of the race. Imagine going that fast and rolling, the only thing you have to protect you is the plastic shell, how good is that going to do?